Swept quartz generally refers to quartz treated by a method such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,777 issued to J. C. King on Jan. 13, 1976. This method comprises subjecting a quartz crystal to an electric field at an elevated temperature.
Sweeping, as practiced today, is carried out subsequent to the growth of cultured (or synthetic) quartz. It is performed for the purpose of rendering quartz resonators immune to radiation.
Heretofore, there has been no hint or suggestion in the art of applying the sweeping method to seeds prior to the growth of the quartz in order to improve the quality of cultured quartz.